I wanted to take a moment to send out a huge and very heartfelt thanks to all of you who read this blog. I know many of you took the time to vote for me for the Reynolds Real Moms contest, and your support really meant the world.

It also really made a difference, because here’s what just got posted on the Reynolds Facebook page this afternoon!

What an honor it is to be part of this campaign. And it is all thanks to you!!! We are going to have so much fun learning great new tips and tricks this year. I can’t wait!!!

Here are the other winners. Definitely take a moment to follow their blogs, as they are not-to-miss!

What a fun road it has been! I have had a blast working on the Reynolds Real Moms campaign and sharing lots of great tips and tricks that get me in and out of my kitchen FAST. I don’t want the journey to end, and that’s where you come in! Today (Wednesday) is THE LAST DAY for voting! Please take a moment and head over to the Reynolds Real Moms Facebook app and vote for me, Tiffany Merritt (bottom row, second from the left in the blue top). The voting button is on the left side of the screen once you are on my specific page. A thousand thank yous! I can’t do it without your support!

Here’s my final tip for you today, and it is a REALLY good one! Take a minute to see why you might need to change the way you store cheese in your home. I have, and I can really taste the difference!

I am a Reynolds Real Moms finalist, and as such have received complimentary products. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. If I win this competition, there will be more opportunities for me to spread the Reynolds love (and offer Reynolds prizes!) to my readers. Will you take a moment today to vote for me? Thank you!

It’s voting day for the Reynolds Real Moms campaign! We’re in the home stretch…just two more weeks! Please take a moment to vote for me. It takes just a few seconds and it can change my life, just like Reynolds products have already done! In case you are new here, I’m Tiffany and can be found on the bottom row, second from the left.

Are you using parchment paper when you bake cookies? Its ok…I wasn’t either, until just a few months ago. But now I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER bake cookies without Reynolds Parchment Paper. Yes, it really does make that big of a difference in the baking process, as well as during clean up. Let me show you all the ways parchment paper will rock your chocolate chip world!

Are you thinking to yourself, “Looks cool, but I don’t even own any parchment paper!” No worries, friends. I’ve got you covered. Here’s a parchment paper coupon that will save you a buck. You’re welcome! 🙂

Many of you know that I already gave away a 6 month supply of Reynolds products. Well guess what? Reynolds said, “Let’s do it again!” That means one more person is going to

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a Reynolds Real Moms finalist, and as such have received complimentary products. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. If I win this competition, there will be more opportunities for me to spread the Reynolds love (and offer Reynolds prizes!) to my readers. Will you take a moment today to vote for me? Thank you!

It’s week 4 of the Reynolds Real Moms competition! I can’t win this thing without your help! Could you take a quick moment to vote for me on the Reynolds Facebook page? Just click on my face (bottom row, second from the left…I’m Tiffany!) and then click the orange button on the left side of the screen. This won’t work on mobile devices, unfortunately. Thank you SO much!

A few weeks ago, I was preparing for Darah to have one of her closest friends from school over for their first play date. Her mom was coming over, as well, which meant that I got to have a play date, too! I knew I wanted to do something special, so I bought ingredients to make some delicious cupcakes that the girls could decorate as an art activity before we devoured enjoyed them.

And then this happened:

The day before our playdate I had a serious run-in with my food-processor blade. It was a “4 stitches needed” kind of run-in. Cooking can be dangerous, friends! Anyway, I was told that I couldn’t get this hand wet AT ALL for 48 hours. That meant that cooking would be pretty close to impossible. At the same time, I was also dealing with this:

This little monkey decided to cut 3 teeth at the same time. This was her second outfit of the day, soaked with drool after only 45 minutes. She wanted to be snuggled and cuddled ALL. DAY. LONG. So as the play date hour drew near, I had to face facts: there would be no cupcakes. But I was having a tough time letting go of the idea of using those cute Reynolds Baking Cups. Time for plan B!

I got out my muffin tin and filled them with two different types of baking cups.

Then I headed to the pantry and the fridge to gather all the snacks I could find. I was really surprised by just how many things I found that could be fun in a muffin tin once I started digging. Here’s what I put in the baking cups:

I had a nice variety of fruits and nuts and sweets and even veggie puffs. Not only did the girls enjoy this, but the moms snacked on it, too!

I was even able to use the foil lined baking cups to hold hummus. It worked wonderfully as the dip bowl. These two items were gone in a flash!

The girls had a fantastic time playing with each other upstairs in Darah’s room. In fact, they ONLY came downstairs to get more snacks. At one point, Darah asked if she could take one of the baking cups back upstairs to save a trip. I managed to snap a shot before this little fairy flew off with her treasure!

Despite not being able to cook a single thing, I still managed to put together something special and fun thanks to my Reynolds Baking Cups. Who said entertaining had to be hard? Give this idea a try the next time you have company. I bet it will be a hit!

I am a Reynolds Real Moms finalist, and as such, have received complimentary products. All thoughts, opinions, and hand gashes shown here are strictly my own! If you enjoyed this post would you take a moment to vote for me (voting happens every Wednesday!). Just click on my face (bottom row, second from the left) and then click on the “vote for me!” button on the left side. I’d also be grateful for you sharing this post (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.). Thank you!

And don’t forget about the giveaway for the 6 month supply of Reynolds products! Find the link over on the sidebar and get yourself entered!

I’ve got a 90 second video to share with you. It may not make you laugh as much as Charlie Bit My Finger, but it will still give you some really good ideas for ways you can make a meat and potatoes type of meal almost effortlessly. And cleanup is a non-issue! Gotta love that! Check it out!

And here’s a breakdown of each recipe in case you want to try any of them out!

Super Simple Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 Baking Potatoes*

Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil

Toppings of your choice

1. Scrub all of your potatoes so they are nice and clean!

2. Poke each potato 4-6 times with a fork. This helps the steam escape the inside of the potato.

3. Wrap each potato with aluminum foil. This traps that steam that escapes and creates the perfect cooking environment!

4. Set your slow cooker to high for 3 1/2 hours or so. Your potatoes will stay warm inside the aluminum foil for quite a while if they are done before the rest of dinner.

5. Add the toppings of your choice to your perfectly cooked baked potatoes. And enjoy not having to clean your slow cooker.

*I like to make a large batch of baked potatoes at one time to eat throughout the week, but you could also do just enough for one meal.

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together brown sugar and mustard until a smooth sauce is formed.

4. Add your ham to the baking dish, flat side down.

5. Cover the ham with the brown sugar and mustard sauce.

6. Place another sheet of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil on top, sealing the bottom layer of foil and the top layer of foil together to create a pouch in which the ham will cook.

7. The ham needs to be cooked for roughly 25 minutes per pound. If you have a 7 pound ham that means it will need 3 hours to cook. Ham only needs to reach 145 degrees to be considered fully cooked. A meat thermometer is very helpful here to make sure you have cooked your ham enough, but not too much!

Baked Apples

Ingredients:

4 apples (Fuji or Galas are my favorites)

4 tablespoons brown sugar*

4 large marshmallows

Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil

1. Preheat the oven to 325.

2. Core each apple, making sure that the bottom of the apple remains intact.

3. Peel one to two rings of the apple skin away from the top of the apple.

4. Add roughly half a tablespoon to the inside of each apple.

5. Next, add one large marshmallow to the inside of each apple.

6. Add the remaining half tablespoon of brown sugar on top of each apple.

7. Wrap each apple in aluminum foil. Place inside a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.

The apple is yummy on its own, or fantastic served sliced over ice cream!

*As a variation, add a bit of cinnamon to your brown sugar!

For more fantastic (really and truly!) tips from other Reynolds Real Moms, check out the Reynolds Facebook page. Dinner is about to get so much easier at your house!

I’m a Reynolds Real Moms finalist. As such I have received complimentary products. This meal was my creation. I hope you enjoyed it!

It’s voting day for the Reynolds Real Moms campaign! I need your help in order to make it to win this thing! Please vote for me! It takes just a few seconds and it can change my life, just like Reynolds products have already done! I’m on the bottom row, second from the left. My name is Tiffany!

One of my very favorite things to do on this blog is to share products that have changed my life for the better. Sharing those types of products, and potentially changing someone else’s life for good give me the biggest thrill ever. If I can save some parents a bit of time and a bit of hassle in their already crazy day, then I have done my job!

Today I want to help change your life for the better in two ways. First and foremost, you have probably already learned that slow cookers are a VERY good tool to have on hand in the kitchen. They can take care of dinner for you with very little effort on your part. But is your slow cooker getting under-utilized? I have found that most people who don’t use them often have two main reasons: either they don’t have good slow cooker recipes, or they find the cleanup to take so much time that it negates the time the product saved them in the first place.

I can identify with both of these concerns. And I can offer you solutions, as well! Check out my video highlighting a fantastic cheesy chicken dip recipe, and see how Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners make cleanup that easily could have taken FOREVER take just a few seconds.

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners have changed my life for the better. I am head-over-heels for this product, and I can’t believe that I only learned about them in the last 6 months. Where have you been hiding, my love?!?! If you haven’t had the pleasure of cooking a meal with a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner, then that needs to change! Why don’t you grab some Reynolds coupons and head on over to the store. Also start picking out the show or movie you are going to get to watch after dinner with the time you saved on cleanup. 🙂

Ok, now for the second way I’d like to change your life…at least for one of you! As part of the Reynolds Real Moms campaign, I get to offer one lucky reader a 6 month supply of Reynolds products! You will be SOOOOOO excited to get this box from FedEx! It will have all sorts of goodies, including foil, parchment paper, baking cups, slow cooker liners, oven bags, bake ware pans, freezer paper and pan lining paper. EEEEEE!!!!!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a Reynolds Real Moms finalist, and as such have received complimentary products. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. If I win this competition, there will be more opportunities for me to spread the Reynolds love (and offer Reynolds prizes!) to my readers. Will you take a moment today to vote for me? Thank you!

One Bite Rule

For a good long while, my husband and I have been awfully smug about what an adventurous eater our oldest is. We chalk it up to the “one bite” rule we have in our house. Darah must try one bite of everything offered for a meal. If she likes it, great! She can have more. If she doesn’t, we respect that and offer her something else that she will most definitely like. We go nuts any time she finds a new food to enjoy and celebrate, and I think for that reason, she has tried and admitted to liking MANY things.

Well, my friends, that one bite rule is starting to lose its shine. Or perhaps Darah is just getting wise to how to ensure she gets what she actually wants for dinner. Lately I have found myself making dinner for her 2 and 3 times before she is content.

Something’s Gotta Give

Yeah….we’re gonna need to put a stop to that! I’ve got some ideas for changes we will be implementing moving forward (one bite for every birthday and no alternative if I have seen her eat and enjoy the dish before). As we all get used to the new rules, though, I also want to serve some meals that are sure to please any 3 year old, and also leave mom and dad with happy bellies. So I’m going to be adding some kid-friendly comfort foods to our rotations.

Recently I made an entire meal that kids would love, and I think your family will love it, too! I made slow cooker mac and cheese, homemade fish sticks (I swear….TOTALLY easy) and s’mores from the oven for dessert. I used different Reynolds products to help me out. They made all the difference between dinner prep being a complete kitchen wrecker and it being not the least bit messy. Can I show you? Let’s do it!

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese to Please

First up, the mac and cheese. I basically made this recipe up based on what I had available in my home. You can adapt it to your own preferences.

The very first and most important step in making this dish is to use a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner. If you aren’t convinced that these are needed, especially for a recipe like this, just you wait. I’ve got a picture later on that will convince you! After your liner is in place, simply layer half of the macaroni, half of the butter, half of the shredded cheese and half of the Velveeta cheese. Then repeat these layers one more time, and pour all the milk on top. When I made this recipe I used 2 1/3 cups milk and I believe it needed more liquid, so I adjusted the amount to 2 3/4 cups for the recipe. That’s how I will make it the next time!

Then you set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours. At the 2 hour mark, the mac and cheese will look like this:

Give it a quick stir and then put the lid back on and let it finish cooking! Two hours later, you have some seriously delicious mac and cheese. The outer rim of the dish has browned mac and cheese. That’s my husband’s favorite part, and even I have to admit, browned cheese is DELICIOUS. But it is most definitely NOT fun to clean. Just try to imagine if what you see below was sticking to the side of your slow cooker:

This would have been one of those epic messes that would have given me pause to consider if I should just give up and get a new slow cooker. But with my Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners, clean up took 2 seconds, as that is how long it takes to remove the bag once the food it out. I actually cackled with glee as I “cleaned up.”

I also made fish sticks for the family. For all of you “non-foodies” out there, don’t skip this part! If you don’t already know, I’m TOTALLY not a professional cook. Not even close. In fact, I’ve never attempted making fish sticks on my own because anytime I try to bread anything at all, I just end up with a huge mess and very disappointing food. But I did a little research and I learned some great tips that made this dish painless, mess-free and a total winner.

Idiot-Proof Homemade Fish Sticks

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 to 1 /2 pounds firm white fish (I used tilapia)

1 cup flour, lightly seasoned with salt and any other seasonings you like

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten and in a shallow pan (I used a pie plate)

Reynolds Parchment Paper

Reynolds Aluminum Foil

Line your work surface with Reynolds Parchment Paper. This stuff is not only great for baking, but it also helps when you have some messy work you need to do in the kitchen. It is very easy to work on top of and as you’ll see later, it is a real winner when dinner prep is over.

Once I had my parchment paper out, I laid out my fish which I had cut into smaller “fish stick” portions. I did opt to make them significantly bigger than those skinny fish sticks that you buy at the grocery store. The size you cut them to is strictly your preference. I also had my pile of flour (which I seasoned right there on the paper) and my pile of breadcrumbs laid out. And then I had my beaten eggs in a pie plate. I was so happy to see how few dishes I was using for such a messy endeavor. Yay parchment paper!

You will first want to dredge every piece of fish in the flour. Shake off the excess. I suggest doing this step for all the fish first rather than taking each piece of fish through the entire breading process because it saves your hands from getting as messy as fast. I also think it is just a good thing for the flour to have a minute to sit on the fish before it gets dipped in egg and breadcrumbs. I believe it made the breading stick better.

Ok, so once all your fish is floured, then you do take each individual piece and dip it in the egg wash (make sure all sides get covered) and then dip it in the breadcrumbs, also making sure all sides get covered. This part is totally fun, though you will need to stop and wash your hands a few times.

Place your breaded fish sticks on a baking sheet. Here’s another tip to make cleanup even easier: line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and then spray it with a nonstick spray. This worked LIKE A CHARM and made flipping the fish sticks so easy.

Next you’ll want to put the fish sticks in the oven that has been preheated to 450 for 8 minutes. At that point, remove them, flip them over, and then let them cook for 8-9 minutes more. If you opted to make very tiny fish sticks, you may want to watch them a bit more closely, as they may not need quite as long as mine took to be finished.

The end result are beautifully browned, beautifully crunchy fish sticks with a breading that doesn’t fall off (hallelujah!). MAJOR hit at my house.

And here’s clean up for that messy meal:

I mean, it almost feels like cheating. All that mess is gone in mere seconds.

Since I didn’t have to spend 30 minutes cleaning the slow cooker and my counters, I could make some dessert! What’s more kid-friendly that s’mores? And no, I didn’t go outside and make a camp fire. I just fired up my oven and reached, once again, for my new BFF, Reynolds Parchment Paper.

6 Minute S’mores

Here’s what you’ll need:

Chocolate bars of your choice cut into chunks

graham crackers

large marshmallows

Reynolds Parchment Paper

Will it gross you out if I tell you that I used the same baking tray that cooked the fish sticks without first washing it for these s’mores? Well I did! And there was no need to wash it as the aluminum foil contained all the fishy stuff…that baking sheet was as clean as can be!

So, you line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I used the baking sheet as a guide for the size of the paper, and then I just folded under any excess so that it wasn’t hanging off the sheet. You could also use scissors to remove the excess paper if you are not as lazy as me. 😉

Preheat your oven to 350. Lay out as many graham crackers as you want. We made 8, which was way too many. And then we ate them all, anyway (don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same!). On each cracker, place your chocolate. Make sure it doesn’t hang over the side or you’ll have a serious mess.

Then take your marshmallows and give them a pretty decent squish with your hands, like this:

Since they tend to expand a bit in the oven, I find that squishing them before you bake them helps them not get out of control.

You then bake the s’mores, WITHOUT the graham cracker top on them, for just 5 minutes! Remove from the oven, and add the top graham cracker. Give it a little smush, and then get ready for all the awesome.

You’ll probably have a little chocolate and marshmallow run over the edges. No worries. The parchment paper catches it all, and I can say from experience that it is REALLY easy to lick melted chocolate and marshmallow off parchment paper.

And just in case you are wondering, the slow cooker and the twice used baking sheet both got put away without so much as a rinse under the faucet. That’s how this Reynolds Real Mom does it!

I am a #ReynoldsRealMoms finalist. I have received complimentary products and am in the running to be an ambassador for the company for the remainder of the year! Please go to the Reynolds Facebook page to meet the other finalists, learn fantastic tips and tricks like the ones in this post, and to vote for your favorite (voting is held every Wednesday).

It’s Wednesday, and that means I need your help today! Please take a moment to hop over to the Reynolds Facebook page and vote for me as your favorite Reynolds Real Mom finalist! To vote, be sure to “like” Reynolds, click on Tiffany Merritt (bottom row, second from the left) and then click on the left side where it says, “vote for me!”.

Reynolds has also released 10 new videos featuring the Real Moms finalists, and I think they are all really awesome! Here’s my video tip, below, demonstrating how to make a foil packet so that you can easily customize your meals. Foil packets are super easy and I find that the veggies in this dish taste outstanding. Definitely give it a try! And let me know what you think about the video. Should I call Paula Dean and tell her to look out? Ha ha!

Do you have any questions for Reynolds about their products? Any favorite kitchen tips and tricks you’d like to share with others? I’d love to hear! Thank you so much for your help with the voting! I couldn’t do this without you!I am a finalist for the #ReynoldsRealMoms Ambassador campaign and as such have received complimentary products. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Today is the day! PLEASE take 2 seconds to vote for me as your favorite Reynolds Real Mom. Voting takes place every Wednesday on Facebook, or if you don’t have Facebook, I can’t think of a better reason to get signed up ;-). I can’t thank you enough for your support!!!

Does Pinterest ever cause you to believe that you are something you aren’t? Whenever I am on the site, my mind somehow gets confused and starts to believe that I am an expert chef. I pin things left and right that call for fresh herbs, hard-to-find produce, gourmet cheeses and other such things that you will never find for Buy 1 Get 1 Free at my local grocery store. They also make use of kitchen gadgets I don’t own, and techniques I have never even attempted. But for some reason, I believe, at least for long enough to hit “re-pin” that I could totally make that stuff. The caption swears that it is “so easy!” after all.

And then after I step away from the delusional fog of Pinterest, I realize that I’m a real mom, with real time and budget constraints, and perhaps more importantly, with real culinary challenges.

For example, I am 32 years old and even though I cook for my family at least 5 days a week and have for the past decade, I have NEVER cooked an entire bird of any sort. I’ve always assumed that it was too gross and too hard.

But today, my friends, I overcame my reluctance and found a way to make a chicken that was honestly easy. I documented the whole process so that you can learn with me if you have never done this before!

So, here are my elements for our dinner. Notice the complete absence of all those gorgeous veggies from Martha’s version. I just don’t have time for all that, you guys!

I did, however, pick up some Reynolds Oven Bags, which are rumored to be a secret weapon of home cooks, as they make dinner much less of a chore and cleanup nearly effortless. Sign me up!

And look what I found when I opened my box!

Saving me time AND money. You are seriously speaking my language, Reynolds.

Ok, so I printed off a recipe from the Reynolds website and was feeling super confident. I was about to stop being such a chicken about cooking a chicken!

Then I got to the part of the recipe where it told me to loosen the skin of the bird by massaging it with my fingers (why no, I didn’t read the recipe through before beginning…who actually does that?! Smart people….that’s who). This is how I felt about these instructions:

The first step was so much fun. Add a tablespoon of flour to your oven bag, close it with your hands and SHAKE, SHAKE SHAKE! I didn’t know this recipe would have a little bit of therapy wrapped into it. Mama worked out some aggression! 🙂

Then I melted some butter and poured it on top of the chicken. Again, no massaging required!

Then I put together the spice mix that uses dried herbs. This may cause the hardcore foodies to wrinkle their noses, but not me! My fresh herb garden is not equipped to handle requests on account of it NOT EXISTING. Rosemary and basil were blended with salt and pepper for this lovely mix.

Now here’s the part where I actually had to touch the chicken. But really, it wasn’t so bad. I mostly sprinkled the herb mix on the chicken and just patted some on in the places that weren’t covered as well by my culinary fairy dust. And look how pretty!

Now all I had to do was put the chicken in the Reynolds Oven Bag and use the tie to secure it. You simply run the tie through the outer loop and the pull it through until it clicks on the tightest possible hinge. Super easy.

Then you poke roughly 6 holes in the bag (I stayed near the top) to provide some ventilation during the cooking process. Then tuck the top part of the bag under the chicken to secure it, and stick it in the oven which has been preheated to 350 and set your timer for 90 minutes.

While I waited for the chicken to cook, I also used the Reynolds Oven Bags to make the most scrumptious herbed corn-on-the-cob. And don’t be fooled by the name, people! Reynolds Oven Bags also work in the microwave! That’s how I used them to make the corn.

Then it was time to clean up. Which of course, I loathe and despise. Just sayin’. But can I show you the pile of dishes I had after preparing the chicken AND the corn?

That’s it! So those Reynolds Oven Bags really did save me a lot of time in the cleanup department. But just as importantly, they cooked the food BEAUTIFULLY! I may have eaten two pieces of corn before my family even knew dinner was ready. Don’t judge.

And I can I please show you what my very first cooked whole chicken looked like? I am SO STINKIN’ PROUD!

It is golden brown, juicy and perfectly cooked. See?

Reynolds Oven Bags made cooking something I have feared for 10 1/2 years a total breeze, from start to finish. I am so impressed with just how easy it was! And now it has me thinking that cooking a turkey just might happen in the near future. A turkey!! The thing I swore I would NEVER even attempt! But now that I have my secret weapon and had such great success with so little effort, I’m ready.

Bring it on, bird.

I am a Reynolds Real Moms finalist and have received some complimentary Reynolds products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts, opinions, and culinary mishaps listed here are strictly my own!

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Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]